Weapons of the Gods: Redux
by Mr. Chaos
Summary: The most celebrated Yu-Gi-Oh! fic returns for one final retelling. Post-Show, Yugi and his friends are called for one final quest, to reclaim the Weapon Cards from the 8 Ronin. But with gods, immortals and killers on the hunt, will the King of Games win?
1. Chapter 1

Prolouge

Prologue

"The gods cannot allow one who has performed such service to perish by his own hand."

-Athena

"Stop struggling, you can not free yourself from those bonds."

The warrior glared at his captor from beneath his blonde locks, deep blue eyes boring into the elder man's chest. "Coward…if you have something to say, something to do to me…do now. For once act like the man you claim you are, child." He coughed as one of the soldiers kicked him in the stomach, sending him to the desert sands.

"You dare to speak to the Pharaoh in such a way?"

"I'll do more than that. Untie me, and I'll dare to cut his eyes out…" The warrior grunted as he was kicked again. "By Osiris, stop that!"

"The gods will not aid you now, Kappa Neo." The Pharaoh said, removing himself from his horse. "Your betrayal has seen to that."

"Betrayal?" Kappa Neo questioned, coughing up some blood. He managed to lift his head up to stare at the Pharaoh once more. "You dare talk of betrayal to me, o' King?" He laughed, bitterly, phlegm rising from his throat.

"That I do, child." The Pharaoh stated, even though Kappa Neo was only a few years his junior. "You have betrayed me and the gods through your actions…why else would you be here?"

"I am here because you are a foolish, petty man, and because your gods care little of one that doesn't need them."

One of the soldiers went for his spear. "Blasphemy!"

"Hold your hand, Ammon!" The Pharaoh commanded. He knelt before Kappa Neo, watching him carefully. "Tell me boy…tell me why you do not need the gods?"

Kappa Neo sneered as he spoke, as if the very words coming from his lips disgusted him. "I have seen many things, Pharaoh. I awoke in the desert alone, naked save for that dagger…" he nodded towards the golden weapon in the Pharaoh's hand, "…and marched for 6 days to your city. No torture the gods plan for me in the underworld will match the pain of their abandoning me to my fate. I have seen men…no, boys…slaughtered on the battlefield, while those that issue the commands sit on their thrones and worry about their next taste of wine.

"I have seen the suffering of the poor, heard the cries of the weak, felt blood on my hands as I held my dying soldiers in their last moments, tasted the tears of the wretched, smelled the disease and waste of humanity, and heard mothers cry out as their children were snatched from them." He glared at the sky. "If the gods exist, then they are more cruel than the worst of slavedrivers."

The Pharaoh gripped Kappa Neo's chin, forcing the warrior to look at him. "The gods reward those that do well in their name. All those that die and suffer do so through their own faults."

"If that is so, dear King, then why am I in ropes? Blame the gods for the crimes brought against you…perhaps you did not do well enough to please them?"

The Pharaoh backhanded the Medji, the warrior chuckling as he did so. "You enjoy twisting words to make yourself feel stronger."

"And you enjoy ignoring them to make yourself feel righteous," Kappa Neo countered.

The Pharaoh smacked him again. "You have answered my first question…now answer this: Why do you think I betrayed you?"

"Why?" Kappa Neo laughed, blood flicking from his lips onto the sand. "Think back Pharaoh…I came to you as nothing. You gave me all…my name, my station, my purpose. And I never once questioned you. When you needed a weapon to defeat the enemies of the east as they came upon our city, was it not I that showed you my dagger, that inspired your brother to create the Millennium Items? Was I not the one at your right hand, battling to protect you? And when you demanded that we ensure that the city never be threatened again, I left without pause, traveling and hunting them for 20 years. I gave up my youth to stop those invaders, Pharaoh. I cut their heads from their necks, tore flesh from limbs, all in your name.

"And then I returned. Did you receive me with fanfare? With praise? No…you questioned my absence, wondered why, if I could to the impossible in 20, why not ten. Then, in the middle of the night, you and your soldiers took me…beat me…and brought me here, with no word for what my crime was." He licked his teeth. "Oh yes…I feel there has been a betrayal, Pharaoh…but it was on your end."

The Pharaoh glared at the Medji. "Is that so? And would my queen feel the same way?"

Kappa Neo's eyes widened slightly before he smirked. "Can you fault me Pharaoh? She was beautiful...a goddess descended to Earth. You told me my first time seeing to worship her. I did."

The Pharaoh brutally struck him.

"Not like that!"

Kappa Neo laughed. "Ah, so that is why you hate me…because I have had knowledge of your beloved? Does it burn you Pharaoh…does it make your blood chill when you hear her cries and know you can never make her feel the way I did?" Kappa Neo grew serious. "She loved me, Pharaoh…not you. You were business…I was love."

The Pharaoh struck him again.

"She gave to us both her body, but only one of us did she give her love…" Kappa Neo narrowed his eyes as he whispered for only the Pharaoh to hear, "…and he womb. Tell me, Pharaoh…how is Atem, the child with the golden locks and dark eyes…how is my son?"

The Pharaoh roared, driving the Millennium Dagger into Kappa Neo's heart, silencing the Medji once and for all.

"You…gave me much, Kappa Neo." The Pharaoh whispered as the warrior convulsed. "You gave me my kingdom, my power…my heir." He leaned in close. "But he will never know of you…they will never know of you. Your name will be wiped from history, the scribes that dare chronicle you tortured for eternity…die now knowing none will ever remember your name."

The Pharaoh gave the command, the soldiers returning to their horses, following after their king as he galloped back to the palace. In the sands, the body of Kappa Neo lay, still and slowly growing cold.

"He is wrong, you know." A woman whispered, rising from the sand. She was dressed in golden robes, her tanned skin shining in the sun. "They will always remember your name…I will see to that." The goddess Nephthys, lady of the dead, draped herself over the Medji's dead body. "Both of us have been betrayed, but now both will be avenged." She ran a hand along his slackened cheek, smiling softly as she stroked his skin. "I waited so long for you…wanted so badly to explain your past…long I allowed you to be with others…with the queen…but no more" She leaned in close. "I will make you better…I will make you greater than you were." As she ran her hand over his flesh, Kappa Neo's body glowed. Rapidly, the ravages of time faded from him, and the dead body now appeared young again, 25 and virile. "I have been alone so long…but now my work nears an end…breath in my power…be reborn anew." And with that, the goddess kissed Kappa Neo's still form, the body shaking as energy poured into him.

She leapt away as he screamed into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

(This story takes place 4 months after the Doom Gunmen arc, but 2 months before the Latest Magna series in Eygpt

_3 years after the Yami/Yugi Duel_

Joey sighed as he looked over his deck. He went through it again, checking it for any flaws. But it was as good as it would be getting. It could win him any tournament.

'Too bad there aren't any tournaments,' He thought bitterly. He looked over at his friends as they ate their lunches.

"Come on Yug, let's duel."

Yugi frowned. He, along with his friends, were seated around one of the outdoor tables at the University of Domino, grabbing a bite to eat before afternoon classes. "What, best out of 10 thousand?"

Joey pounded his fist on the table. "This is ridiculous! We work hard to become the top two duelist in the world, and now we can't find a single person willing to challenge us!"

"Since when are you number two?" Tristan questioned. "I know for a fact Kaiba is ranked number 2."

"Number 3 then."

Tristan shook his head. "What about that D guy, from the Pro League?"

"4th." Joey grumbled.

"Isn't there a professor here…Adrian something…"

"WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP!" Joey roared before rolling his eyes. "The point is, I work hard to get good, and then everyone decides to not let us duel."

Tea smiled and put her sandwich down. "What's wrong Joey, looking back at the days when even I could beat you?"

Joey shook his head. "All I'm sayin' is I want something new."

Tristan looked at Joey angrily and hit him on the back of the head. "If you're so bored, get off your butt and challenge someone."

"The good that will do us." Yugi said glumly. "We have plenty of new players that want to challenge us, but the duel is over before we can even set up a good strategy. All the experienced players avoid us like the plague, afraid of ruining their records."

Tea bit her lip. "You could always enter a tourney."

"There aren't any that will let us in!" Joey said desperately. "Illusion Industries haven't had a tournament since Pegasus retired. And Seto is still in America, trying to design his theme park. We'd go to a card shop, but none will let us enter. The owners say we drive away business!"

Tea gave them a sympathetic look. "Tough at the top, isn't it."

"Ya." Yugi said sadly. It had been over 2 months since he had dueled someone other than Joey. And even then, it hadn't been much of a duel. He had won in 5 turns and the kid had ran off, crying to his mommy.

"I tell ya Yug, it's time like this I wish we had some evil doer running around trying to destroy the world." Joey muttered.

BOOM.

The group looked around, startled by the thunder…especially since it was a bright and sunny day.

"Must have been heat lightning?" Tristan ventured nervously.

&

"And so, as we can see from this slide, the ratio of trap cards to spell cards…"

Yugi's eyes blinked, head jolting forward slightly and jostling him back awake. A few seconds later, he could hear Joey's head smash into his desk, the teen cursing softly. Tristan was looking at his pencil, trying to find some way to make it entertaining, while Tea was stifling yawns. The rest of the class was fighting the grip of the sand man as well, and losing.

The University of Domino-East was famous for its wide range of classes and majors, including master degrees in duelist theory. And for the most part, the classes were interesting. Even Yugi had gotten excited observing the many different fields and theories there were on the game and its aspects. It made school fun, entertaining and exciting.

Except for this class.

Dr. Crowler's Deck Building 301.

The class was horrible for several reasons. First off, the subject matter was dull. Crowler had spent a week going over why you should only use 40 cards in a deck.

A

Full

Week

It didn't help that Crowler had the most grating, annoying voice on the planet, and acted as if he were the best in the world at everything.

And he looked like Michael Jackson and Prince's baby.

Yugi glanced over at the man seated behind Crowler. Doctor Adrian Kratos, aka Doc K as he liked to be called, was a guest professor at the University. He was visiting from Britain, where he taught Duel Psychology and Philosophy. Doc K was the opposite of Crowler: he was a tall, powerful man, a timeless quality about him that made it seem as if he were both 40 and 20 at the same time. He had a shock of frost colored hair, a unworldly blue tint to it that made him stand out. While he taught in Britian, he had explained to them early on that he was from Eastern Europe, starting out in Romania and than to Austria where he had lived with his adopted father. This worldly travel, a regal baring, and his Romanian accent, had all the girls in class swooned for him, and all the guys wanted to go buy him a beer.

Adrian was currently tapping his cane against the floor in utter boredom. That was the other thing about Doc K…he was blunt. When he'd first walked in, leaning on his cane, he'd taken one look at the class and stated, "Who ever has ever met a cripple?" He'd then rolled up his pant leg to reveal the heavy steel bar that stood where his right calf should have been.

Just thinking about the Doctor made Yugi wish it was Adrian's day to teach the class. Doc K had been telling them last time of the different dueling thought schools there were. Cyber Style, Psycho Style, Samurai Style, and something he'd only hinted at called Soul Style…it made Yugi want to duel the professor and find out what school of thought he belonged too.

"And if we examine this ratio…"

Yugi raised an eyebrow as Doc K pantomimed taking a gun, putting it into his mouth and pulling the trigger. The class snickered, Crowler turning to find Adrian sitting perfectly still, watching him quietly. When Crowler turned back around, Adrian took his pantomime gun and pointed it instead at Crowler's head.

The class roared with laughter.

"Enough of this! Enough!" Crowler snarled, waving his hands about. "I will have respect…I will have order…"

"Excuse me, madam?" A man called out from the back. "I hate to interrupt…"

Adrian burst into laughter. When Crowler glared at him, Doc K glrared right back. "Let an old cripple have some fun."

The man in the back cleared his throat. "I need to see Yugi Moto, Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor and Tea Gardner."

Crowler frowned. "And what could be so important that yo would need to pull them from my lecture?"

"He stepped on a bug?" Joey muttered.

"Mr. Maxamillion Pegasus wishes to speak with them…"

Crowler's eyes lit up. "Maxamillion Pegasus…oh my, why of course…of course you m take them…I wouldn't want to upset Mr. Pegasus…please let him know that I am fine with this…and that I would love to work for his company."

Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Tea all sighed with relief as they slowly made their way out of the classroom towards the man sent to get them.

None of them noticed Adrian's eyes flash.

'So…it begins.'


	3. Chapter 3

Egypt- 5 millenia ago

Egypt- 5 millenia ago

"Are you going to ignore me for much longer?" Nephthys asked, her tone mirthful.

Kappa Neo glared at her but kept walking, his body shuddering slightly with each step. He held his chest, rubbing the patch of skin that should have been marred by a hideous scar. A scar brought by his own dagger…thrust by the hand of the man that had given him his name.

But where there should have been twisted flesh and slick blood he only found smooth skin stretched over muscle and bone. Impossible.

Of course, considering his life…

He'd awoken naked in the desert.

The dagger he'd found in his hand made the priests at the temple cower in fear due to some strange magic aura around it.

He'd sired a child with his own queen.

He'd just been magically de-aged from late forties to his early twenties.

He'd been stabbed in the heart.

And the goddess of the dead was prancing at his heels like a hyena pup.

"Leave me alone." He snapped softly.

"And why would I do that?" She asked, appearing in front of him, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Don't you like how I look? I'm not ugly, I picked this form just for you, my sweet."

Kappa had to admit that the goddess was lovely. Deeply tanned skin, not as dark as the tribesmen to the South, but not as light as many he had met during his time under the pharaoh. She was exotic, a strange mix of innocence and danger. Black hair done in a short bob, deep golden eyes fluttering at him, the black dress she wore flattering her perfectly.

"But maybe your prefer something else? I've been around the world, my sweet…ever been to Sweden?" Nephthys' hair and skin lightened as her dress transformed into fur pelts? "Japan?" With another blink she was a geisha. "Or are you into the strange?" She questioned, turning into what Kappa could only equate was a strange cat-woman like creature. "Or…perhaps…something familiar is what you need, my sweet…" She smiled as she slowly transformed into a duplicate of the Pharaoh's bride. "Is that what you want?"

Kappa Neo snarled, drawing his dagger and bringing it to her throat. "Do not tempt me, witch." He shoved her from his path. "My dagger has been without blood for some time…and I do not like to leave it hungry."

Nephthys huffed, returning to her normal form. "If you think you can defeat me so easily, I will gladly spare with you."

"Why will you not leave me alone?" Kappa Neo practically begged, continuing his march through the twisting sands.

The goddess cocked her head to the side. "I have explained once, dear Medji…you are mine."

"I don't want to be yours…I belong to no one."

"We all belong to someone, Kappa Neo." Nephthys said solemnly. "I belong to several…my fellow gods, my sister Isis…my husband, Set." She spat out his name. "We may not want to belong to others…but we do." She gazed at him, eyes softening. "It is not a one way street, my dear Medji. My heart is already yours…fully and completely, for yours to command."

"Then I command you to leave me to my misery." Kappa Neo said, marching onward.

Nephthys laughed. "Oh, no, you misunderstand. It is your heart that owns mine…I do not listen to that silly little conscious of yours." In a blink, Kappa Neo found the goddess riding on his shoulders. "I could take it away, if you wanted. All the guilt, all the pain…it would be easy…"

"I work through pain."

Nephthys smiled, never once letting on that Kappa Neo had passed an important test. She leapt down, quietly following him.

&

"I do not blame you."

"For what?" Kappa Neo questioned. The desert had grown cold once the sun had set, leaving the two of them at the night's mercy. Nephthys never once complained, never once shivering due to the winds. 'The perks of being a goddess.'

The two of them sat at a small fire Kappa Neo had made, the Medji finishing off the last of a small lizard he'd managed to catch. The goddess had offered to provide him with food, but Kappa Neo refused, not wishing to know what exactly the goddess would consider food.

It wasn't as if he were hungry…for some odd reason he felt no need to eat…it was merely something to do.

"Haven't figured it out yet…have you?" Nephthys asked him with a smile. "Want me to tell you?"

"Don't know…" Kappa Neo spat out a piece of bone. "Don't care."

"You aren't wondering why you haven't longed for water…why you could still walk for hours more without tiring…" She leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees. "You aren't curious as to how you find yourself at the peak of life once more, your wounds healed?" She licked her lips, "Or…perhaps…you wonder about that greater mystery…the one that has haunted you since your first waking memory: Who are you…were did you come from?"

Kappa Neo frowned. "I came from the desert…that is all I know or care about."

"I somehow doubt that, Genonises"

The Medji froze, slowly turning to the goddess. "What did you say?" He whispered, hand clenched around his dagger.

The goddess of the dead watched him carefully. "Genonises…that's the word you first heard when you awoke…Genonises…you thought it was the town you were born in…maybe a river that bordered the kingdom you hailed from. Never did you suspect that it was your name, the one I gave you?" The goddess tilted her head. "So strange…you have a habit of gaining names from the powerful…Kappa Neo."

"What do you mean, the name you gave me?" he grit his teeth. "Are you mother?"

Nephthys' laughter rang through the night. "In a way, my sweet, but I have had one relationship with family and I do not want another." She reached out to stroke his cheek, but the Medji pulled away. She shrugged, letting her hand drop. "I told you that I understood you not trusting me…I was telling the truth. You see, my dear warrior, I, like you, was betrayed.

"You know well of the gods…of how my husband Set, the war-god of Egypt, killed Osiris, and how Isis and I put him back together. What you do not know is how I was treated afterwards. Oh yes, my husband was a cruel man, a monster to do that to his own kin. I feel not joy when I hear his name, nor any sorrow for his fate…I was overjoyed when he was punished.

"But the gods…they began to turn their eyes to me when they no longer had Set to blame for their woes. Do you know what it is like to see everyone you thought you could rely upon turn their backs on you?" She smiled bitterly. "Of course you do." She stared up at the stars. "I'm blocking them…I had plenty of time to prepare for this moment…thousands of years to learn the magics to keep us safe.

"But…while time is nothing to a goddess, it still can be lonely being by yourself. I had no gods to turn to, and mortals die to soon…I needed something new…something better to be with me."

"I don't want to hear this." Kappa Neo said, standing up.

"I found bones…ivory from the great beasts. Elephant tusks form arms, cheetah for legs, the teeth of lions. I found everything and more, piliaging the strongest of the animal kingdom. And I carved and slaved over them until I built the perfect structure. I coated it with the finest clay from the Nile, then cast it into the desert to bake like one would a pot. And before I left it to cool, I gave my creation a weapon…The Millennium Dagger, the golden edge of destruction."

Kappa Neo let out a roar, slamming the goddess to the ground and thrusting the very blade against her throat. "Is that what I am? A puppet? A toy for a goddess to play with!?"

Nephthys managed to smile even as she sat at death's door. "No, my sweet…never think that." She reached out, pulling his head closer to hers, the dagger now pressed to both their necks. "You are so much more than that. You are Genonises, the God of War. And when we are done, my love…we will be the last two gods left in the world."


End file.
